The Readers' Cafe

About Me

I am a high school English teacher who loves to read, and I'm passionate about finding quality books for my students to read. The reviews on this blog will reflect what I am currently reading and sometimes what my students are reading. The books that appear on the list are ones that I think would be of interest to high school students, are age appropriate in content and difficulty, and in some way tap into eternal truths. Most are classics, but some are just fun, popular books.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Friday, May 28, 2010

Dear visitor, I am so sorry about all the crazy extra spaces in the book list and that it takes forever to move from post to post. Soon I am moving to a new website. I'll tell you what my new address is as soon as I build it. In the mean time, I highly recommend The Road, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I dare not put up more posts on this site, as everything seems to be falling apart.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

In "Meditation 17," John Donne says that "God's hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to one another" with such poetic beauty that, reading it, I forget what a terrifying idea that actually is. Do I really look forward to being fully known? If I could be assured that I would be fully accepted (something the Bible does assure, but that I have a hard time believing), I would long for it. In Daniel Wallace's Big Fish, Edward Bloom wants acceptance from his son, but can't bring himself to open up to him. He has been fabricating stories about himself all his life, and refuses to turn his back on them.

His son William asks him to just have one completely truthful conversation with him before he dies. At various points it seems like he might be finally opening up, but the seriousness gets shunted off the tracks into some silly joke. William grieves not only for himself but for his father's sake: "Beneath one facade there's nother facade and then another, and beneath that the aching dark place."

The stories that Edward tells all make himself out to be the hero. He subdues a giant, saves a little girl from a mad dog, buys a town to preserve a simple way of life for its people. Edward is safely able to tell these stories because he spends so much time on the road while William is growing up. "The very idea of coming home at the same time every single day made him just a little nauseated," so he travels, and when he comes home, he tells stories. William reflects on the times when his father was away: "I'd say I missed you, if I knew what I was missing." His father is gone most of the time, and when he comes home, he brings a false sense of who he is.

Daniel Wallace has hit on an archetype that must resonate with every father and son who reads the book, the father who feels that he must be judged by his own son. Men have a wild desire to prove themselves, and it is ther sons who can see through them, to see clearly when they are posing. The most sincere thing Edward says to his son is actually a question: "As a father . . . do you think I did a good job?" All of his insecurity is wrapped up in the question. The sad thing is that he wants the affirmation without the honesty, as though the words themselves, "You are a good dad," were "some sort of password" into the afterlife.

Ultimately Big Fish leads the reader to think about his own lies and their effects on his relationships. Don't we really want to be loved for who we are and not for some facade we are throwing up? We're such posers! Beyond that, the book makes us question our idea of reality because so much of it comes through stories others tell. Edward's deathbed scene is told four times. The first three come in chapters entitled "My Father's Death: Take 1," "My Father's Death: Take 2," and "My Father's Death: Take 3." These all seem to be the same very realistic, unsatisfying scene told over again in slightly different ways, as though William is trying to find something good in it, but can't. Then the book ends with what seems like the real deathbed scene, "My Father's Death: Take 4," but it veers off into a wildly mythical, truly wonderful ending, worthy of one of Edward Bloom's stories. It's as though William has decided that his father might as well die the way he lived, and one has the impression that his children's children will hear this version.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

I am a shy stranger. In the locker room at the recreation center, I am amazed at the men who strike up conversations with others they don't know. I speak when I'm spoken to. I feel awkward when others are overly friendly. I'm alarmed when someone draws undue attention to themselves. I took a trip to New York once with one of my students who is the most extraverted person I know. On every bus and subway car, at every bus station and subway station, on every sidewalk, and in every line we stood, he struck up a conversation with someone we didn't know. He had a gift. Rachel Simon's Riding the Bus with my Sister really reminded me of that trip, of both the embarrassment and the wonder.

It's a true story about Rachel and her sister Beth, who has mild mental retardation. Beth is a thirty-some year old woman who spends her days riding buses in Philadelphia. Rachel tries to put aside her judgment of her little sister's lack of a job and promises to ride the bus with her off and on for a year. At first I wondered if this book would be sentimental, depicting Beth as one of "God's true angels" who speaks truisms out of her open-hearted naivety that the rest of us jaded, "normal" people long for. Simon actually scoffs at that depiction of people with mental retardation. Beth is headstrong and often downright rude. Jacob, one of Beth's bus driver friends, tries to model the golden rule for Beth and convince her to follow it herself, but she isn't going to be easily swayed.

Chapters in the book alternate between describing Beth's relationships with people--whether they be bus drivers, her social workers, or her boyfriend--and telling the heart-breaking story of Rachel and Beth's years growing up. As the book progresses, the two sisters come into clear focus as two wounded people who are stuck in ruts they find nearly impossible to climb out of. Rachel realizes that she is just as much "a clock that nobody can reset" as her sister is. What started out as a favor to her sister, just spending whole days riding the bus with her, becomes a transformational experience in her own life.

For the most part, it is the bus drivers who are the heroes of the book. I will never look at a bus driver the same way again. It takes a real gift to be courteous to rude people, understanding of hurried people, sympathetic with hurting people, and compassionate toward people like Beth who don't fit easily into society, all why negotiating traffic and weather. Some of the bus drivers start out with great intentions, but weary of Beth's persistent demand for attention. I could so easily see myself as one of those. True love is shown over the long haul. It has been a long time since I have felt as convicted by my own lack of love as this boook has made me feel.

Even Rachel comes to several points at which she distances herself from her sister. Once, she goes to the back of the bus and acts like she doesn't know her. It sounds terribly hurtful, but having read to that point in the book, I completely understood. Those who love Beth the most seem to set boundaries for their relationship, but continue to care for her even when she bucks against them. Relationships aren't easy. When those boundaries are set though, they really do enjoy her, and just riding the bus all day, Beth really does have a lot to offer society.

Having a sacramental view of sex and marriage, I found that Rachel Simon's acceptance of people living together outside of marriage was a hurdle I had to jump over in order to appreciate the book. Apart from that one difference in values, I felt like the book would really be great for high school students to read on their own or even study in class. Riding the Bus with My Sister belongs on the shelf with other great nonfiction books like Angela's Ashes, Obasan, and The Color of Water. It had me in tears at several points. The ending was particularly a wonderful surprise.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Kathryn Stockett's The Help is about black maids in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960's gaining the courage to tell the truth about their circumstances, though they risk their jobs and even their lives in doing so. It's a fun, lively, and thought provoking book. Stockett has a great sense of drama and an amazing ear for dialect.

There are several heroes, but the central character is Aibileen, a middle-aged maid who eventually gets the others involved. Aibileen is particularly heroic because she is the first woman willing to tell her story to Skeeter, a young white reporter who wants to write about more important things than how to clean things. Together, and eventually with others they enlist, they set to writing a book about the experiences of black maids in a nameless town in Mississippi. In the process, Aibileen discovers that she herself has a talent for writing as well as persuasion. In order to get her friend Minny to join the effort, she simply acknowledge's that Minny is right:"We don't want a change nothing around here." As a result, Minny starts thinking about the word "Truth." "It feels cool, like water washing over my sticky-hot body. Cooling a heat that's been burning up all my life."

Truth is as important to Skeeter as it is to the maids. Constantine, her own maid when she was growing up, taught her the importance of it. Tall and gangly, Skeeter always felt unattractive, an impression that her mother encouraged, but Constantine taught her to say, "Am I gone believe what them fools say about me today?"

"Them fools" includes much of society at that time in the South. Skeeter finds a book of Jim Crow laws, which she realizes defy logic. One involves segregating blind people who can't even see color: "The Board shall maintain a separate building on separate grounds for the instruction of all blind persons of the colored race." The truly blind are those who see color, and one of Skeeter's best friends, Hilly Holbrook, seems to be the worst of them. Though she is horrified by having to use a toilet that a black person might have used, she somehow doesn't think she is a racist. "'It's true. There are some racists in this town,' Miss Leefolt say. Miss Hilly nod her head, 'Oh, they're out there.'" Probably the most obvious indication of Hilly's blindness is her desire to help "poor starving children in Africa," but her total disregard for black people in her own neighborhood.

Though the book is a clear indictment of the racist South, Stockett carefully avoids painting Hilly or any of the others as monsters of evil. Aibeleen, for instance, can't help but admire Hilly's love for her children: "One thing I got to say about Miss Hilly, she love her children. About every five minutes, she kiss little William on the head. Or she ask Heather, is she having fun? Or come here and give Mama a hug. Always telling her she the most beautiful girl in the world. And Heather love her mama too. She look at Miss Hilly like she looking up at the Statue a Liberty. That kind a love always make me want a cry. Even when it going to Miss Hilly. Cause it makes me think about Treelore, how much he love me. I appreciate seeing a child adoring they mama."

The book also shows the passive, cowardly type of Southerner in the form of Stuart, who wonders why Skeeter wants to "stir up trouble." My guess is that there were as many Stuarts in Jackson as there were Hillys, though that may be giving too much credit to human nature. The only character who doesn't "see the lines" between the two races or even between the classes is Celia. She wants to sit down in the kitchen with Minny over coffee, but be one of Hilly's high society friends. You can't help but love Celia, but even she isn't idealized. Her life is a train wreck in itself, and she desperately needs someone like Minny.

Though the book is primarily about racism, it's almost as much about mothers and daughters--about Constantine and her daughter, Elizabeth and Mae Mobley, and Charlotte and Skeeter. All of these mothers at one point or another give in to society's expectations rather than loving their daughters. Of course the book is as much about Constantine and Skeeter and Aibileen and Mae Mobley--relationships where the black maid truly mothers the child.

The Help has some strong language, sometimes that is central enough that you can't pass over it and get the plot. The situation involving "the terrible awful" is one case in point. I won't be a spoiler, but it is aptly named. I never quite recovered from reading this part of the book. I'm trying to decide whether I'm a prude or not. One of my best friends is a seventh grade math teacher who once put up a poster of a guy picking his nose on the door to his room. I feel sure that he would love this part of the book. I'm just saying it isn't for everyone.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Many people struggle with the daily grind of trying to stay faithful and be a good person, whether they are Christians or not. In one's own life it is hard to imagine the subtle ways in which the devil "comes to steal, kill, and destroy." Temptations from the devil seem like they would be sins that are clearly defined in the Bible and that pastors in local churches regularly comment on. The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, however, expounds on a more thoughtful and descriptive perspective of Satan's techniques.

The Screwtape Letters is an account of the letters from senior demonic tempter Screwtape to his young, inexperienced nephew, Wormwood. In his letters, Screwtape offers advice on how to turn the man Wormwood has been assigned to away from "the enemy" (God) and to assure that the man's final resting place be reserved in the pits of hell. The Screwtape Letters forces one to examine one's own life and brings to light certain weaknesses in the human mind, whether one is a Christian or not. Most of what the book expounds on isn't even what most Christians think of when they think of someone who is on his way to hell. Screwtape makes a big deal out of the fact that big sins like murder are no worse than small sins like gambling, if they will both eventually lead that person away from God: "Indeed the safest road to hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts . . . ." Screwtape tells his nephew that he should focus on exploiting the common human weaknesses and to let the humans do the rest of the dirty work in the world. In this area, C. S. Lewis displays an extraordinary understanding of human nature and what truly drives men and women.

It is interesting to see how Screwtape concedes that God is genuine in His love for humans and that God only wants the best for them (even though Screwtape later denies acknowledging this when confronted about it by higher demonic authorities). Another interesting point in the book is when Screwtape acknowledges that all pleasure comes from God and is beneficial to a human's relationship with God, even when it is achieved through sinful and non-beneficial means, such as sexual sin. He says that while the actual act is the sin and can often drive the person further from God than the pleasure will benefit him, the pleasure is still from God, no matter what the circumstances: "Anything, even a sin, which has the total effect of moving close up to the enemy makes against us in the long run."

Lewis also points out the dangers of pretending to be someone else in order to impress others. Screwtape states, "All mortals tend to turn into the thing they are pretending to be." This is a warning not to pretend to be someone who does not love God or someone who sins on a regular basis because one just might turn into this imaginary person.

All in all this is a very good book. One criticism of the book is that it might cause many high school students to have to pull out their dictionaries or read certain sections over again to understand them fully. The vocabulary and sentence structure was sometimes difficult. Still, the book is a great classic and well worth the effort it takes to read it.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Jesus took a child in his arms and told his disciples that if they wanted to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, they should become like one of these little ones. I think at least a part of what he meant was to let go of the jaded cynicism that allows adults to talk about evil as though it is something we all must accept and live with. The best way to really see through the pretenses of even the worst things in the world is to see them through the eyes of a child. In John Boyne's The Boy with the Striped Pajamas, Bruno, a nine year old boy, discovers first hand the horrors of the holocaust.

Boyne calls the book a parable and writes with a simple style that matches a child's innocent point of view. Bruno's naivety allows the reader to discover the concentration camp with "the charm of novelty," as though those images from history books and documentary films were never stamped sharply on his mind and he is standing with Bruno at the window of his new bedroom, both of their mouths "in the shape of an O," wondering what this could be. "To begin with, they weren't children at all. Not all of them, at least. There were small boys and big boys, fathers and grandfathers. Perhaps a few uncles too. And some of those people who live on their own on everybody's road but don't seem to have any relatives at all. They were everyone."

In some ways, Bruno seems too naive. I really think that at nine years old, if I had seen a vast array of men in striped pajamas surrounded by a fence, I would have surmised that this was some sort of prison. Still, there had to have been some purposefully self-induced blindness among German people during World War II. The alternative for Bruno was to accept that his father was a monstrously evil man, a conclusion that Bruno does not want to hear from his new friend Shmuel, but cannot always avoid, considering some of the glaringly wrong things he witnesses. One of the best illustrations of Bruno's inability to really take in his experiences is when the story of Shmuel's past does not sink into Bruno's mind until he is telling it to his sister. As Jesus often said of people, he had heard the story, but hadn't really listened to it.

Occasionally, Boyne goes too far and makes the children in the book unrealistically naive. When Gretel sees the concentration camp, she suggests that it is the countryside. After Shmuel's encounter with Lieutenant Kotler, Bruno asks him if he fell off his bicycle. Come on! My willing suspension of disbelief failed at those moments; the story crashed to the ground like the Hindenburg. Still, the story has stayed with me, and I have found myself mulling over it again and again.

Book List for High School Students

Fearful of his own weaknesses and the breakdown of his society, Okonkwo tries to establish himself as a great warrior.

Watership Down by Richard Adams 9

On Fiver’s premonition that the rabbit warren is in danger, Hazel collects a band of friends who are willing to strike out for a new home.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 10

Eddie, the maintenance man from Ruby Pier, meets five people in Heaven that help him understand his life.

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose 10

Dick Winters leads Easy Company through D-Day, Market Garden, Bastogne, and other key battles in World War II.

In Search of the Source by Neil Anderson with Hyatt Moore 9 The Bible comes alive for a missionary in Papua New Guinea as he translates it for the tribe with whom he shares adventures.

The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov 9

Can psychohistorian Harry Seldon save the knowledge and wisdom of the Galactic Empire as it plunges toward a new Dark Age?

Selected Poems by W.H. Auden 11

Auden is one of the most plain-spoken British poets of the 20th century. His poems are sometimes political, sometimes religious, always personal.

The Confessions of St. Augustine by St. Augustine 12 honors

Augustine, a fourth century bishop, tells his spiritual autobiography with intense passion.

Emma by Jane Austen 11

Having succeeded at getting her governess married, Emma tries playing match-maker with some of her friends.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 11

Mousy and quiet Fanny comes to live with her rich cousins and learn their gentile ways, but maybe they can learn from her.

Persuasion by Jane Austen 10

Under her wise aunt’s influence, Ann turned down the man she loved, but will she get another chance?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 9

Elizabeth gets her dander up when Darcy insults her at the dance, but maybe there is more to him than his pride.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 12

Having lost their home and wealth, the sensible Eleanor and the passionate Marianne wonder if they can still find happiness and marriage.

Peret Goriot by Honore de Balzac 12 honors

In a boardinghouse in a dismal Parisian neighborhood, a father comes to realize that he loved his daughters too much for them to love him at all.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie 9

Wendy and her brothers follow Peter, the boy who never grows up, to Neverland. It's different from the Disney movie in surprising ways and incredibly witty.

Laugh Your Way Through Grammar by Joan Berbrich 9

This is the only grammar book you will need in high school. The problems at the front of the book identify your weaknesses, and then you can look up the usage rules that apply to them. Every example is something funny or witty.

Collected Poems 1957-1982 by Wendell Berry 12

Berry is a Southerner who is passionate about preserving rural communities and their ties to nature

A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt 11

Sir Thomas More, Chancellor of England, cannot bring himself to agree that his king can get a divorce. Will it cost him his life?

The Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle 10

POW Colonel Nickleson battles wits with his Japanese internment camp commander, Colonel Saito, over who will control the camp.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne 9

Bruno's family has moved to a big house in front of a camp full of people in pajamas, and he is angry because he has no friends.

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury 9

It’s the summer of 1928 in a Midwestern town, and twelve year old Douglas Spaulding is about to wake up to the magic of his own life.

The Marsian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury 9

Short stories chronicling the adventures of new settlers on Mars.

Fly Boys by James Bradley 11

A balanced account of the war in the Pacific that culminates in the stories of Prisoners of War captured by Japanese on Chichijima Island.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 11

Jane grows up in misfortune. Will that misfortune continue when she meets the mysterious Mr. Rochester?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 10

Katherine’s father takes in a little gypsy boy and the two form a wild attachment to each other that is threatened by high society.

Confinement by Carrie Brown 12

Jewish refugee Arthur Henning drives the car for the rich but cold Duvall family. Can he overcome his own losses and bring any love into their lives?

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown 12 honors

A historical account of the Native Americans and their mistreatment by the United States.

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan 11

Christian heeds the call and makes his way toward the Eternal City, facing a multitude of trials as he goes.

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Anne Burns 10

Will and the rest of his Southern town are dismayed when his grandfather decides to get married only three weeks after his grandmother's death.

The Fall by Albert Camus 12

In a shady bar in Amsterdam, a man starts a conversation with you, indulging in a calculated confession of a horrific fall from self-righteousness.

The Plague by Albert Camus 12

Dr. Rieux faces the horror of the plague in Algiers and grapples with the meaning of life amidst suffering.

In the Wake of the Plague by Norman Cantor 10

This book gives a sweeping view of the Black Death and its place in the Medieval world, as well as telling the stories of individual humans. It's captivating history.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 9

Alice falls into a hole where the ridiculous becomes the norm and everything is turned topsy-turvy.

Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll 9

This time Alice steps through a mirror to find the world gone mad.

I Read it in the Wordless Book by Betty Smartt Carter 10

Carrie is reunited with her father who has returned from Vietnam with a new wife and must work through their estrangement.

The Tower, the Mask, and the Grave by Betty Smartt Carter 9

Virginia arrives at the Bible department Christmas party to find that the secretary is missing, as well as the mysterious mask from the second floor.

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter 10

Little Tree goes to the mountains to live with his grandparents and learn the ways of the Indian.

My Antonia by Willa Cather 11

Jim Burden tells of growing up half in love with his best friend Antonia Shimerda, a Bohemian girl, on the Nebraska frontier.

The Man Who was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton 12

Syme infiltrates a secret anarchist circle to foil their best laid plans, but is soon utterly confused as to who is friend or foe.

Manalive by G.K. Chesterton 12 honors

Tenants of a boarding house declare themselves a sovereign state and put Innocent Smith on trial for attempted murder and kidnapping.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 9

Ten people are invited to an island and are murdered one after another.

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie 9

On vacation in Africa, Inspector Poirot sorts out a boatload of suspects after newlywed Linnet Doyle is found murdered.

The Mirror Cracked by Agatha Christie 9

What did the fading film star see at the village fete that brought the look of doom to her eyes?

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie 9

Inspector Poirot investigates a murder on the train and finds it interesting that practically everyone he meets has some connection to the murder.

The Second World War series by Winston Churchill 12 honors

The former British Prime Minister tells the story of World War II from his perspective.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 11

Esperanza's family finally owns their own house. Though it isn't what she expected she can still dream.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 10

Santiago has a dream that he will find treasure at the Pyramids, and now a king encourages to him to sell everything and find it.

Picnic, Lightning by Billy Collins 10

Billy Collins writes with a playful, conversational tone. Like Wordsworth, he often infuses a sense of wonder into every day things.

Sailing Alone around the Room by Billy Collins 10

Billy Collins is a recent Poet Laureate. His poems often juxtapose an ordinary scene with an extra-ordinary idea to surprise us about life.

The Kneeling Bus by Beverly Coyle 10

Will grace visit Carrie Willis as she comes of age as the daughter of a liberal minister in the Florida of the 1950’s?

Connecting by Larry Crabbe 11

Crabbe gives us a vision of what the Christian church would look like if it were truly a place where we connected with each other.

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane 11

Henry faces battle for the first time in the Union Army anxious to prove himself, but no man knows himself until he is in the midst of conflict.

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman 9

A homeless girl in the Middle Ages is taken in by a demanding midwife and gradually discovers who she wants to be.

Leaven of Malice by Robertson Davies 11

To their utter shock, Pearl Vambrace and Solomon Bridgewater find an announcement in the newspaper that they are to be wed on Nov. 31.

A Mixture of Frailties by Robertson Davies 11

Solomon Bridgewater must find the lucky recipient of his mother’s legacy, but he didn’t expect the singing artist to be so compelling.

Tempest Tost by Robertson Davies 11

Ms. Valentine directs a summer production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and all sorts of rivalries and romances crop up among its assorted actors.

A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe 12

H.F., a London saddler, describes the slow strangulation of his city by the plague of 1664 and 1665 and the nobility of the people who cope with it.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe 12

Shipwrecked on what he thinks is a deserted island, Robinson Crusoe must find a way to survive.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 12 honors

Pip gets help from a mysterious benefactor and rises in society, but will it improve him as a person or win him the girl of his dreams?

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 12

The secret of his parentage haunts Oliver as he grows up an orphan, joins a criminal gang, and struggles with which of his benefactors to trust.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 11

Though Charles Darnay abhors the way his aristocratic family has treated the poor, when he decides to get married, he becomes a target.

Annie Dillard responds to the death of young girl in an airplane accident in three beautiful and inspiring essays.

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard 12

Annie Dillard writes about the experience of writing.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 12 honors

Raskolnikov plots the murder of an elderly woman and then must face the consequences. How can grace somehow touch this vicious murderer?

Sherlock Holmes Mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 10

Dr. Watson reports the cases of his friend the famous detective in a series of short stories.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas 10

Edmond Dantes is arrested on his wedding day for ties to Napoleon and forgotten in a prison, but an opportunity arises for revenge.

W;t by Margaret Edson 12

A great professor and expert on John Donne comes down with cancer and finds that death is more a semi-colon than a comma.

The Journey of Desire by John Eldredge 10

This book argues that our true hearts deep within us long for God and shows the ways in which we settle for less.

Middlemarch by George Eliot 12 honors

Dorothia decides to marry an old, intellectual man, and no one can dissuade her.

Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot 10

Elizabeth Eliot tells the story of her martyred husband, Jim Elliot, using passages of his journal

The Cocktail Party by T.S. Eliot 11

Edward tries to enjoy his party, making excuses for why his wife isn’t there, but a strange, unidentified guest isn’t playing along.

Silence by Shusaku Endo 12 honors

A Portuguese priest during the height of the persecution of Christians in 17th century Japan wonders at the silence of God as enemies get ever closer.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger 10

When Rube’s brother Davey guns down intruders in their house, he becomes a fugitive and his family hits the road to find him.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman 12

The culture of American doctors and the culture of Hmong immigrants collide when Lia Lee starts having epileptic seizures.

In a Green Eye by Elaine Feinstein 11

Feinstein, a contemporary British poet, writes poetry with a sly sense of humor and an honest transparency regarding her own experience.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 11

Can Jay’s newly acquired wealth and big parties win Daisy? She seems unhappy enough, for her husband, Tom, may have another woman.

Howard's End by E.M. Forster 11

Margaret and Helen try to help Leonard Bast with a financial tip from Paul Wilcox, but the secret in his wife’s will may reveal his unreliability.

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster 12 honors

Adela attempts to discover the real India, but will it prove too much for her Western mind? The Marabar Caves have a strange effect on people.

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster 11

The simple and direct George Emerson shocks Lucy into life on a trip to Florence, but she is engaged to the boorish and boring Cecil Vyse.

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster 10

Foster challenges us to the traditional Christian disciplines, not to prove ourselves to God, but to draw closer to him and let his Spirit work in us.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 9

Anne relates her experiences hiding in a small hidden room with fellows Jews during the Nazi occupation.

Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman 10

Having fallen in love with a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, Boston born Katherine learns to cope with the Canadian wilderness.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke 9

Meggie finds out that her father can read characters out of books, but there's a catch: when someone comes out, someone goes in.

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons 10

When Ellen's sickly mother dies of an overdose, she is left with her abusive, alcoholic father, but she is determined to find the perfect family.

Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey 9

Eccentric Frank Gilbreth practices his theories of efficiency on his wife and twelve children.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding 10

A group of castaway boys try to organize themselves for survival, but will the hunger for fun and power destroy their efforts?

The Princess Bride by William Goldman 9

See the movie first! Can Wesley save Buttercup from all that stuff? And then there's the Zoo of Death!

Homer's Daughter by Robert Graves 11

What if "Homer" was actually a Sicilian princess who decides to take things upon herself when her father’s kingdom is threatened?

The Human Factor by Graham Greene 12

There is a mole in MI-5, and Castle has been instructed to seek him out, but he must consider the human factor if he is to succeed.

Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene 12

A British vacuum cleaner salesman in Havana takes up spying to pay his daughters way to college, or does he?

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene 12

An priest who struggles with alcoholism and an overwhelming sense of his sin eludes the law in a communist state of 1930’s Mexico.

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin 11

With the help of a dermatologist, Griffin changes the color of his skin and walks around in the deep South in late 1959.

Ordinary People by Judith Guest 12

Conrad Jarrett tries to return to his ordinary life after an attempted suicide, but that path leads through his weak father and hardened mother.

Death, Be Not Proud by John Gunther 10

Gunther describes his teenage son’s struggle with a brain tumor and his son’s thoughts on life from an atheistic perspective.

Poet's Choice: Poems for Everyday Life by Robert Hass 11

In this book, Poet Laureate Hass has collected what he considers poetry that is accessible to the general public and comments briefly on each poem.

Staggerford by John Hassler 12

This book gives one week in the life of Miles Pruitt, a 35 year old high school teacher as he copes with quirky fellow teachers, tooth-aches, etc.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 11

Hester is shunned by the Puritan community for her sin of adultery, but who is the father of her child? can repentance and reconciliation find them?

Opened Ground: Selected Poems 1966-1996 by Seamus Heaney 12

Born in Northern Ireland, Heaney has devoted much of his poetry to the life, history, and conflicts of his homeland.

Swan Lake trilogy by Mark Helprin 9

A tutor’s devotion to the prince he serves begins a struggle of generations against an evil usurper.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 10

Armed with his young friend’s fish bait, old Santiago goes fishing. He hasn’t had any luck in eighty-four days, but today might be different.

Dune by Frank Herbert 12

Paul’s powerful and influencial family have just moved to the desert planet that produces the spice that runs the universe. Will the mysterious people on the planet help save them from an overthrow of their power?

All Creatures series by James Herriot 10

A country veterinarian shares his often funny, often touching experiences.

Hiroshima by John Hersey 12

This story tracks the lives of four people who survived the atomic bomb as they face radiation sickness and the rebuilding of their lives.

The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins 9

A group of German commandos attempt to ambush Winston Churchill on British soil during World War II.

To Make Me Grieve by Molly Holden 12

Holden wrote in the 60’s and 70’s. Her struggle with multiple sclerosis probably made her insight and observations more acute.

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope 10

Rudolph Rassendyll finds it funny that he resembles the king of Ruritania, but a quiet fishing trip may end up having national significance.

The Rise of Silas Lapham by W.D. Howells 11

Now that Silas has made his money off of the paint business, will he be accepted by the wealthy community? Will his daughters find true love?

The Glass Hammer by Andrew Hudgins 12

Hudgins is a contemporary Southern poet who writes simple but intense poetry about his own experiences.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo 12 honors

Jean’s life is changed when he receives grace, but will hispast life as a convict catch up with him?

New Selected Poems by Ted Hughes 11

The husband of the late Silvia Plath, Hughes has been the poet laureate under Queen Elizabeth. He often writes about untamed wild life.

An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen 10

A consciencious doctor finds that the hot springs that are the economic life of his community are poisonous.

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen 12

Torvald has no idea what a sacrifice his childish, pouting wife made to save his life years ago, but her money-lender is making difficult demands.

Redwall series by Brian Jacques 9

The villain rat Clooney the Scourge lays siege to the Abbey. Can the gentle creatures within find the courage and strength to defend their home?

The Children of Men by P. D. James 11

In a world in which the human race is dying out due to an unexplained impotency, Theo must decide whether it is worth joining a resistance group to oppose his cousin, the dictator.

The Trial by Franz Kafka 12

K. Finds that he is on trial, but has no idea what the charges are or how he can defend himself.

The Reason for God by Tim Keller 12

Keller addresses modern and postmodern objections to and builds a case for orthodox Christianity.

Otherwise: New and Selected Poems by Jane Kenyon 12

Kenyon wrote most of her poems from the experiences of life on a New Hampshire farm. They hold the simple freshness of a life close to the soil.

The Bean Tree by Barbara Kingsolver 10

A Cherokee woman drops a baby in Taylor’s lap as she’s headed west in her old Volkswagon. Now Taylor and "Turtle" head on for Tuscon.

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling 11

Mowgli grows up in the jungle, facing the challenges of the wild.

Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler 12

After sending others to prison for divergent points of view for years, Communist leader Rubashov is himself arrested and must come to terms with his own actions.

Obasan by Joy Kogawa 12

A Canadian family of Japanese ancestry faces prejudice, the loss of their possessions, and internment during World War II.

Collected Poems by Phillip Larkin 12

Larkin is a post-war British poet with a dark outlook on modern society, yet his poems are filled with a concrete beauty that celebrates life.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 10

Scout’s father defends a black man accused of a crime in a rural Southern town.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis 11

Sinners from Hell visit Heaven to see if it's worth staying, but each of them has to let go of something if he's going to do it.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis 10

Ransom finds that he has been kidnapped and taken to Mars, but can he foil his kidnappers and play a role in the planet’s redemption?

Perelandra by C.S. Lewis 10

This time Ransom finds himself on Venus, and he may just have the opportunity of saving it from the kind of fall that Earth faced in Eden.

That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis 10

This time Ransom finds that trouble has come to Earth and even his own college, and he is faced with one of the great struggles of science and ethics.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis 10

Screwtape advises his young apprentice on the best ways in which to tempt the human to whom he has been assigned.

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis 12

The ugly Orual mothers her beautiful sister Psyche until the day their father the king decides that Psyche will be the perfect sacrifice to the god of the mountain.

The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur 10

MacArthur makes us see various stories in the gospel afresh to cause us to surrender our lives to Jesus as Lord.

The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald 9

At the bidding of the old princess, Curdie heads off with a pack of ugly animals to help his king overcome a plot to destroy the kingdom.

Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean 9

The Dolphin, and an American nuclear submarine heads for the North Pole to save a British Meteorological team, but sabotage awaits them.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X edited by Alex Haley 12

Malcolm X traces his story from his father’s murder, through his own foster care and life on the streets, to leadership in the Nation of Islam.

Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell 9

Maxwell tells the story of his escape from the busy life with his pet otter.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer 10

Bella doesn't know what to make of the darkly handsome Edward, her Biology partner who seems to despise her for no reason. The old man from the Indian reservation knows his secret.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller 10

John Proctor seeks the truth and justice during the Salem Witch Trials.

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller 11

Willy Loman, a failed salesman, searches for the thing that ruined his relationship with Biff, the son he idolized.

A Book of Luminous Things by Czeslaw Milosz 12

This is a collection of international poetry in translation put together by the Polish Nobel Prize winner.

Shiokari Pass by Ayako Miura 11

This is a story of faith, intense love, and self sacrifice in Hokkaido, the frigid northern island of Japan.

Little Britches series by Ralph Moody 9

This series traces Ralph's crazy life from his childhood days in a pioneer family, through hardworking days in Boston until he is kicked out of the city, to adventurous days out West as a cowboy.

How to Build a Long-Lasting Fire by Carol Morrison 10

This is a guidebook for new poets. It gives very accessible, inspiring instruction in writing poetry, student examples, and great prompts that Morrison calls "Firestarters" for writing poems.

The Last Year of the War by Shirley Nelson 12

Jo struggles with her faith and with Clyde, a guy who won’t stop pursuing her, in her freshman year at Calvary Bible Institute.

Mutiny on the Bounty trilogy by Charles Nordhoff and James Hall 10

Fletcher Christian finds it increasingly harder to work under the tyrannical rule of Captain Bligh on their trip to Tahiti, and his mates are behind him.

Rascal by Sterling North 10

Sterling’s mother is dead and his father is often busy on his novel, so when he makes friends with a raccoon, he’s free to get in all kinds of trouble.

The Northcote Anthology of Short Fiction 10

This is an anthology of stories by Evangelical writers, including myself.

The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor 12

O’Connor is a Southern Catholic who always seems to have God’s grace pierce through a person’s heart through a horrific event.

The Four Million by O. Henry 10

These short stories are all about the people of New York, people who might step on your feet in the subway or walk away with your pencil.

Cabbages and Kings by O’Henry 10

These short stories are all about a country in South America where any crazy thing might happen because revolutions are everyday occurences.

A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver 11

This guide to understanding and writing poetry explains various aspects of the poem from a poet's point of view. This book will absolutely inspire the advanced poetry student.

Animal Farm by George Orwell 9

Napoleon the pig leads the animals in a grand revolution so that they will all be free and equal - only pigs will be more equal.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson 9

Louise tries to deal with her bitterness toward her sister Caroline, who seems to have captured everyone’s love on Rass Island.

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton 10

Stephen Kumalo goes searching for his lost son, brother, and sister in Johannesburg. Has the big city ruined them, or can his family be restored?

Too Late the Phalarope by Alan Paton 11

A policeman in South Africa seeks reconciliation with his community and his father after a shocking and unforgivable moral failure.

How to Read a Poem . . . and Start a Poetry Circle by Molly Peacock 12

Peacock gives her ideas on how to start a poetry circle while giving extensive commentary on some of her favorite poems.

Poetry in Motion: 100 Poems on the Subways and Buses edited by Molly Peacock, Elise Paschen, and Neil Neches. 10

This is a collection of poems of 16 lines or fewer that were published on placards on the New York City subways.

Americans’ Favorite Poems by Robert Pinsky and Maggie Dietz 12

Poet Laureate Pinsky invited Americans of all walks to write in and tell what their favorite poem was and why. This book is the fruit of the project.

Edgar Allan Poe Stories by Edgar Allan Poe 9

This of course is the greatest collection of scary stories, including "The Tell Tale Heart" and "The Cask of the Amantillado."

The Chosen by Chaim Potok 10

Danny Saunders comes of age under the shadow of his father, who is the rabbi of the Russian Hassidic Jews in Brooklyn.

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok 11

Can Asher stay true to his artistic vision without alienating his parents and his community? Is he indeed an apostate, a self-hater, and a traitor?

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym 12

Mildred Lathbury is a clergyman’s daughter and spinster who gets involved in other people’s lives, including of course the vicar’s.

A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym 12

Wilmet Forsyth is bored with her excessively sober civil servant husband and ready for an illicit relationship, but some bumbling errors might save her.

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 10

Jody’s father trades a useless dog to the lawless Forresters for a shotgun in order to kill Slewfoot the bear, but the trade holds unforeseen repercussions.

Eternity in their Hearts by Don Richardson 10

Richardson collects in this book true accounts of tribes that were prepared by God for the coming of a missionary and presentation of the gospel.

Peace Child by Don Richardson 9

Richardson, a missionary to Papua New Guinea can’t find a way to make the gospel meaningful to the tribe he works with until a tribal raid occurs.

A Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter 9

Though he was taken captive in an Indian raid, Johnny has grown to love his new home. Now his family wants him back.

Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez 12

Rodriguez relates the story of his education from knowing 50 words of English as a hispanic kid to studying in London with a Fulbright Scholarship.

The Complete Poems of Chritina Rosetti by Christina Rosetti 11

A Victorian poet, Rosetti wrote with incredible intensity. Whether in children’s poems or devotional poems, she startles the imagination.

The Genesis Question by Hugh Ross 10

Ross explains the events in Genesis with a respect for both the authority of the Bible and a respect for the broad scientific community.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling 9

Harry finds out he has magical powers and is sent to Hogwarts School for witchcraft only to find that he is the nemesis of the evil Lord Voldemort.

Dancing to the Heartbeat of Redemption by Joy Sawyer 10

Sawyer makes poetry come alive as she reveals its redemptive value in a Christian’s life.

Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers 10

Can’t a private detective and his new wife have a decent honeymoon without someone getting killed?

Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers 10

A series of frightening practical jokes at Harriet’s alma mater become so dangerous tha Lord Peter is called in to solve the myestery.

Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers 10

Lord Peter Whimsey steps in when Harriet Vain is accused of killing her fiance.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott 12

Sir Brian determines to abduct a woman, but his nemesis, a disinherited knight from Palestine vows to face him again.

Shane by Jack Schaefer 9

Can Shane help the Starretts ward off the usurpation of the cattlemen and protect their quiet Wyoming homestead?

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 12

When Margaret finds a note from the great novelist Vida Winter, asking her to write Miss Winter's biography, she wonders if she will for once tell the truth about her life.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare 12

When the ghost of Hamlet’s father visits him and tells him that he was murdered, Hamlet must decide how to find out the truth and act upon it.

Henry V by William Shakespeare 12

Encouraged by the archbishop who says he has a divine right and enraged by the insult of a gift of tennis balls, Henry heads to France for war.

King Lear by William Shakespeare 12

Lear wants assurances of his daughters’ love, but Cordelia will not comply. Will his dependance on the other two flatterers ruin him?

Macbeth by William Shakespeare 11

Three witches tempt Macbeth to murder with sweet-sounding prophecies. He may just be an invincible king. His wife is all for it. Should he go for it?

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 11

Antonio pledges a pound of his own flesh as surety when he borrows money from his enemy Shylock to help his friend Bassanio. Yikes!

Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare 12

Benedict and Beatrice are always cutting each other down with great zest. What if someone suggested to each one that the other is stricken with love?

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare 10

Can passionate love overcome a vicious family feud?

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw 10

Can Professor Higgins pass off an ordinary Cockney girl out of the gutter as a duchess? What might happen to her (and him) in the process?

Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon 11

Rachel rides the bus with Beth for a year. What starts as a favor to her mentally retarded sister ends in her own transformation.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 11

A mysterious green knight rides into King Arthur’s court at Christmas with a bold challenge, accusing every knight there of being beardless boys. Can Gawain prove him wrong?

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith 12

Francie’s dreams are as fragile as the struggling tree out her window. Will her drunken father’s pipe dreams or her hard mother’s iron will win out?

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith 10

Cassandra and her odd family live in poverty in an old castle. Her father, a dried up author, won’t help with the income, and her sister will do anything to win a wealthy man.

Cancer Ward by Alexander Solzhenitsyn 12

It was one thing to become a political prisoner, but now Kostoglatov faces cancer, the ultimate threat his dreams.

Antigone by Sophocles 12

Antigone’s brother lies dead on the battlefield, and the law of the land prohibits his burial. Can she, a mere woman, do anything for him.

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles 12

The king and queen of Thebes learn from the Oracle of Apollo that their newborn son will kill his father and marry his mother. Can fate be altered?

The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher by Rob Stennett 10

Ryan, though he doesn't even believe in God, decides to leave his sorry life as a mediocre real estate agent and become the pastor of a mega-church.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom 9

Corrie and her family hide Jews behind a fake wall in their home in Holland during the Nazi occupation until they have to face the consequences.

The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux 12

Sick of the evils of America, Allie Fox moves his family to the jungle of Honduras to start a Utopian life, but the seeds of tragedy go with him.

Selected Poetry by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 12

Tennyson was a Victorian poet who wrote with such accessible clarity that he seems modern. Many of his poems deal with Arthurian romances.

The Poems of Dylan Thomas by Dylan Thomas 12

Dylan Thomas is an Irish poet of the Modern Period who attempted to instill a religious sense of reverence into a purely natural world.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 9

Bilbo goes on an adventure with some dwarves to face a dragon, but finds a mysterious ring in the process.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien 10

Gandalf informs Frodo that the ring Bilbo gave him is the most dangerous thing in the world and must be kept from Sauron, the Dark Lord.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien 12

The high elves make war upon Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, for the recovery of the Silmarils.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 12

Vronsky has to overcome Anna to lure her away from her boring husband, while the Levin has to overcome himself to win Katerina.

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant 11

Can the Tulls manage to have a family meal together without someone leaving in a huff?

Huckleberry Fynn by Mark Twain 11

Huck escapes from a life of manners with Miss Watson and beatings with his father to help Joe try to escape from slavery.

The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin 10

Chanticleer must face the ultimately evil Wyrm, who threatens his farm, but he may need the help of the sorrowful dog Mundo Cani.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton 11

Newland Archer’s compassion for Ellen Olenska, who has been shunned by society, may get in the way of his engagement to May Welland.

The Once and Future King by T. H. White 12

Is it possible that the kid they call Wart could be the future king? Can Merlin’s crazy training exercizes bring the king within to the surface?

The Warrior Kings of Saxon England by Ralph Whitlock 12

Discover the grandeur of the great kings of England during the Dark Ages who successfully warded off Viking invasion after invasion.

The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley 10

Facing an economic crisis, the small country of Grand Fenwick declares war on the United States and sends a company of longbowmen to attack New York.

Night by Elie Wiesel 10

Wiesel describes his personal experience in Nazi concentration camps.

The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde 10

What are Algernon and Jack to do if the women in their lives have always been determined to a marry a man named Ernest?

The Bridge of San Luis Ray by Thornton Wilder 12

Can Brother Juniper prove that God’s grace can be found in the death of each of the five travellers who fell when the bridge collapsed?

The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder 12

John Ashley is unjustly accused of murder and disappears to Chile as a fugitive. Will Roger and Lily’s plan to find their father work?

All Hallow's Eve by Charles Williams 10

Lester Furnival realizes that she and Evelyn have died, but they may have the power to save Betty from the grip of the AntiChrist.

War in Heaven by Charles Williams 10

Will the discovery of a corpse lead the Archdeacon to a far more surprising discovery, the Holy Grail? Not if Gregory Persimmons can help it.

The Glass Minagerie by Tennessee Williams 11

Determined to have her children rise above their circumstances, Amanda sets her shy daughter, Laura, up with a gentleman caller.

Life with Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse 12

Bertie Wooster keeps getting in scrapes he cannot get out of without his wise, multi-talented butler, Jeeves.

The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey 10

Yancey helps us Evangelicals who have grown up with Jesus be astounded at his character as if we have seen him for the first time.